Saudi Arabian Embassy Says The Buyer Of The Da Vinci Painting Is Not The Saudi Crown Prince

The embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington D.C. issued a statement on December 8 in response to a Wall Street Journal report that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was the true buyer of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, which sold at auction in November for a record breaking $450 million.

The embassy says in its statement that the “art work was acquired by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism for display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.”

Auction house Christie's released a statement shortly after, corroborating the embassy's version of the sale. "Christie’s can confirm that the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi is acquiring ‘Salvator Mundi’ by Leonardo da Vinci,” the statement read. “We are delighted to see that this remarkable painting will be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi."

Forbes asked Christie's to confirm whether the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism or a Saudi prince paid for the painting. "We have nothing further to add to our statement," a Christie's spokeswoman said in an e-mail.

But the Saudi Embassy puts forth another version of what happened: It says that “Prince Badr, as a friendly supporter of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, attended its opening ceremony on November 8th and was subsequently asked by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism to act as an intermediary purchaser for the piece." Forbes was unable to confirm the Saudi Embassy’s account of the purchase.

Prince Bader is a friend of the Saudi Crown Prince, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the two have worked together on business ventures and charity in the past.

The news of Saudi involvement in the purchase of the artwork comes at a time of high tension in Saudi Arabia. As of December 5th, the country’s anti-corruption commission had frozen 376 bank accounts and detained 159 people in connection with corruption, according to a statement from the Saudi attorney general.